Romania Buys Israel's 2.3 Billion US Dollar Anti-aircraft System

Romanian/ILLUSTRATION/PHOTO Army Via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - Romania signed an agreement to purchase an Israeli-made Shorad-Vshorad anti-aircraft system worth more than 2 billion euros (USD 2.3 billion).

Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, Romania and other European countries are working to increase their defense budget since Russia's massive invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022.

EU and NATO member states, which share a 650 km (400 miles)-long border with Ukraine, have repeatedly crashed fragments of Russian drones into their territory over the past two years when Moscow attacked Ukrainian port infrastructure.

Reported by Reuters on Monday, July 21, the framework agreement with Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems produced by Israel's US-backed Iron Dome defense system provides the signing of three advanced contracts, which will include the procurement of six integrated anti-aircraft systems.

The contract will also include training, ammunition, and logistical support.

This framework agreement will take effect for seven years, with the first two Vshorad systems to be delivered within three years of signing the first of three advanced contracts, the Romanian Ministry of Defense said.